Grey's Anatomy Recap: All Fired Up

The wildfire raging near Grey Sloan wasn’t the only thing blazing in the fall finale of Grey’s Anatomy — tempers were so hot around the hospital that the docs were lucky they didn’t set off the sprinklers. Which clashes got the most heated? Read on and find out!

HOT UNDER THE COLLAR | As “Things We Lost in the Fire” began, we still didn’t know the reason that Owen loathes Nathan. (Although at least I had learned that Riggs is McKiwi, not McAussie. Apologies — my bad!) Alex suggested that when two guys hate each other as much as Owen and Nathan do, “it’s usually about a chick” — maybe April? Nah. Arizona wondered whether the men had actually had a wartime affair themselves. What was the actual truth? Little by little, we inched closer to it, starting when injured firefighters began arriving at Grey Sloan — including Owen’s mom Evelyn’s young boyfriend, John.

First, Nathan infuriated Mer by pulling a spike out of John’s chest when she wanted to wait for Maggie. Then, Riggs ticked off Owen by refusing to step away from the operating table while trying to save John’s life. In turn, Owen hurt Amelia by continuing to shut her out. All he’d allow was that he didn’t want Nathan anywhere near his family. (She actually got better intel from Isaac.) When things went south in the OR, Nathan and Mer blamed each other. But thankfully, a shot of adrenaline kept John’s heart pumping.

Post-op, Amelia was giving Evelyn an update on John’s condition when she saw Nathan, burst into tears and embraced him. (What the what?) Afterward, Amelia reached out to Owen, who rebuffed her once more. “I do not want your help,” he barked, “not with this.” In John’s room, Mer asked Evelyn how worried about Owen she needed to be, what with Nathan around and all. “Close the door, dear” was Evelyn’s reply. (Yikes.)

Off that convo, Mer was approached by Amelia, who was understandably anxious to find out what, if anything, her sister-in-law found out. When Mer refused to divulge any info, per Owen’s request, Amelia wigged, prompting Grey to explain that it was neither of their business but that she was honoring her promise to Cristina by looking after her former husband. Livid, Amelia accused Mer of being incredibly loyal to everyone except her own sister. And that was when things went from unpleasant to downright ugly. “You are not my sister,” Mer clarified. “Cristina is my sister. You are Derek’s sister, and Derek is gone.” (Whoa.) Right on cue, Penny stuck her head in and nearly got it taken off by Amelia. Before Mer and Amelia’s argument was over, the latter lashed out at the former for wrapping Blake around her “like some sick widow shawl.” Grey was “hollow,” Amelia added. Hollow in a way that would have “disgusted” Derek. Finally, Mer said that she wanted Amelia out of her house. (Da-amn!)

Shortly thereafter, when Nathan went to check on John, Owen told him to walk away — preferably very far away. Riggs admitted that he’d already seen “Ma” (hmm) and reminded Owen that his family is Nathan’s family, too. To reinforce how incredibly NOT the case that was, Owen decked his nemesis.

BURN NOTICE | After Jo interrupted Mer and Alex talking, and Grey yelled at her to get away “like [she] was a stray dog,” Alex found himself in the doghouse. And the more he defended Grey and why she had to be his priority, the more it began to look like the doghouse was gonna be his new permanent residence. His biggest mistake: telling his girlfriend that Mer was “the only one I can count on.” (Think what you will about Jo — we all have lately, right? — but still, ouch.) Afterward, when Stephanie happened upon Wilson crying in the supply closet, Jo managed to have a whole argument with her ex-friend without Edwards so much as saying a word. Later, Stephanie approached Jo, and they made up. That night, Jo broke up with Alex, only to have him turn around and propose to her. That was what he and Mer had been conspiring about when Jo had interrupted — Grey had been hiding the engagement ring for him! So “yes or no?” he asked. And we didn’t get a dang answer!

HOT TOPIC | In the aftermath of Jackson and April’s surprise hook-up, he asked Callie whether she and Arizona had gone through marriage counseling before divorcing. Later, telling Jackson about her and Arizona’s counselor’s advice not to have sex while estranged, Callie deduced from his reaction that they’d done it. Toward the end of the episode, Jackson finally got April to talk to him about their situation. Sorry, got her to YELL at him about their situation. She assumed that he was going to dump her and challenged him to say it. But what was he actually going to say? Gah — we didn’t find out!

TOO HOT TO HANDLE | Meanwhile, Maggie and Andrew, it turned out, were still playing doctor. (Did anybody ever come up with a Mc name for Andrew? McStudly?) But she got ticked when he dared to touch her at work. They had to be professional, she huffed. Well, “my feelings for you are not professional,” he replied, “so I’m calling this.” Later, she admitted that she liked him, too. “I just can’t like you at work.” And they kissed (and then some) and made up.

WARMING TREND | Though Arizona flirted with a female firefighter with a burned butt, she had so much trouble sealing the deal that she tried to recruit Richard to find out for her if the woman liked her, too. Alas, the lady in question already had a girlfriend.

ASHES TO ASHES | As the episode — and the first half of the season – ended, Nathan drowned his sorrows at the Grey Sloan docs’ favorite watering hole, and Amelia — her own wounds still smarting — tumbled off the wagon by drinking, too. Back at the hospital, Mer sat down with Owen and said, “You never told me you had a sister.” The plot thickens…